Chapter 414| Chapter 415| Chapter 416
Chapter 414: A Nation Rejoices
The news caused a nationwide sensation. People spilled out onto the streets, and the atmosphere in every town and village was electric with cheers.
“The college entrance examination has been resumed!”
City workers celebrated by immediately sitting down to write letters to their children who had been sent to the countryside for manual labor. “We can finally go back to the city!”
Many educated youths had been waiting years for this moment, though those who had already started families in the countryside faced a difficult dilemma. Meanwhile, in the villages, young people sprinted home to tell their mothers the incredible news.
“Boss! The college entrance examination is back! Our children can finally go to college!”
“Is it… is it really true?”
People couldn’t believe their ears, and many rushed to the nearest town just to verify the report. When they heard the radio confirming it, the reality set in.
“It’s true! The radio is announcing it right now!”
“Hahahahaha!”
“Son, you can go to college!”
“Dad, I can actually go to college!”
Many young people wept openly, overcome by the sudden realization that they still had a path forward. The prospect of escaping their hardship filled the entire country with a sense of explosive joy.
Sheng Wanyan carried Yiyi outside, soaking in the historic atmosphere. She could hear the cheering erupting throughout the family compound, a palpable wave of excitement.
“I… I have to write to my son!”
“Yes, yes, I need to write home, too!”
Aunt Xie thought of her youngest son, who had been sent to the countryside just last year after graduating high school. He was eighteen now, and the thought that he might return in less than a year left her trembling with excitement. Most importantly, he wasn’t tied down by a wife or children in the countryside, and his bright academic record from high school gave him a real chance at success.
Even the soldiers were shocked. They realized that they, too, were eligible! As long as they met the requirements, they could apply. The army had a desperate need for intellectuals, and military leaders immediately held emergency meetings to handle the logistics.
While some men in the army had already graduated from military academies—like Sheng Wanze and Gu Tingxiao—most of the rank-and-file soldiers were not highly educated. Few could read well, and those who were typically sent for advanced training were already the elite of the elite. For the average soldier, the college entrance exam felt like a fantasy. Still, the military decided they would at least find teachers to help the men learn the basics.
Though early attempts to bring in outside teachers failed when the instructors grew frustrated with the soldiers’ lack of foundational literacy, the army persisted. They decided to have the men attend the village literacy classes at night. Even if they didn’t pass the college entrance exam this year, learning to read would change their lives, keeping them from relying solely on manual labor forever.
Because of the exam’s return, the country plunged into a feverish state of study. Bringing the honor of a college student into the family became the ultimate goal for everyone.
Shortly after the news broke, Sheng Wanyan’s parents called the army compound. They wanted to ensure she was preparing to take the exam, even though she had been out of school for years. At twenty-four, she was still well within the age limit. Pan Yue was in a similar position; with her son, Huzi, nearly three, he could be enrolled in nursery care if she were accepted into a university. Besides, Sheng Wanyan’s mother would be retiring in two years and could help look after the boy.
When the Sheng family learned that both Wanyan and Pan Yue were preparing for the exams, they were overjoyed. Sheng’s father, himself a college graduate, longed for the younger generation to continue the tradition.
Across the country, people scrambled to borrow textbooks and study materials. Even Xu Guihua, who was back in the city, could hardly believe her luck. Sheng Wanyan’s casual advice from months ago had become a reality, and she had spent the last two months diligently studying the high school textbooks she had copied. She didn’t dare claim she knew everything, but she could handle at least half the material now. She made sure to write a letter to Sheng Wanyan, thanking her and advising her to hold tight to such a capable partner.
On the day of registration, Sheng Wanyan prepared to head into the city. She needed to get an early start, as the queues to sign up were bound to be immense. Gu Tingxiao took the day off to accompany her and Yiyi, intending to get a family photo taken as well. Yiyi was two years and two months old, and they hadn’t taken a professional portrait since she was one.
Sheng Wanze also took Pan Yue to the city to register. Sheng Wanyan sat on the back of Gu Tingxiao’s bicycle, holding Yiyi, who giggled as the breeze whipped through the fields.
“Mommy~ Are we going to the city?”
This was Yiyi’s first clear memory of a trip to the city. She had been there once as an infant, but it held no place in her mind. While she wasn’t particularly curious about the outside world, she had heard stories from the older children in the compound about candied hawthorns, delicious pastries, supply cooperatives, and movies.
“Yes, we’re going to the city to play and take some pictures, okay?”
“Great~”
“Shall we take Yiyi to a movie, too?” Gu Tingxiao suggested. “We can stop by the supply cooperative and then have dinner at the state-owned restaurant.”
Sheng Wanyan reached out and poked Gu Tingxiao’s waist, causing him to pause and slow the bike.
“Sounds good,” Gu Tingxiao said, his voice dropping to a low, husky register. Sheng Wanyan, busy teasing Yiyi, didn’t notice the sudden change in his tone.
Chapter 415: Registering for the College Entrance Examination
“Are you happy, baby? Mommy and Daddy are taking you to the movies and go shopping.”
“It’s so cool~”
Yiyi waved her little arms and clapped happily. She was finally going to experience all the fun the older brothers and sisters in the family compound always talked about.
Because Yiyi was with them, Gu Tingxiao didn’t ride his bicycle as fast as usual, and it took them a full two hours to reach the city.
The city streets were visibly more crowded than usual, buzzing with a rare energy brought on by the resumption of the college entrance examination. The scrap yards, in particular, were swarming with young people. Everyone was frantically rummaging through the piles of paper, desperate to lay their hands on old high school textbooks.
The educated youth who had been sent down to the countryside were the most anxious to return to the city. However, so many years had passed that their original textbooks were long gone. In the rural villages, very few local children ever made it to high school anyway, considering how much money it cost a family to support a child’s education. Even if a local family did own textbooks, why would they willingly lend them to outsiders?
Truth be dissolved, the city-born educated youth hadn’t left a particularly stellar impression on the local villagers over the years. Many of them had been coddled before coming to the countryside, and they often carried an air of superiority that rubbed the locals the wrong way.
Furthermore, many of these educated youth had already married and settled down in the villages. Choosing to take the college entrance exam now felt, to their spouses, like a prelude to abandoning their rural families. This was especially true for the female educated youth; the villagers openly gossiped about whether these women would ever return to their rustic husbands and children once they tasted university life. Because of these anxieties, every village was rife with domestic tension, and divorce rates were already beginning to spike.
Sheng Wanyan, however, had no need to visit a scrap yard. She simply held Yiyi’s hand as Gu Tingxiao led them to the registration line.
The process was being held at a local city school, and the moment they walked through the gates, they were met with a dense wall of people. Gu Tingxiao locked his bicycle to a concrete pillar, scooped Yiyi up into his arms, and carefully navigated through the crowd.
“Be careful,” he murmured, looking back at his wife. “Stay close behind me.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded, keeping a polite distance. In this era, even married couples couldn’t engage in overly intimate gestures in public; otherwise, bystanders would quickly accuse them of public indecency or “hooliganism.”
Yiyi had initially wanted to be set down so she could walk on her own, but the sheer volume of the crowd terrified her. She clung tightly to her father’s neck, though she still peeked out curiously to watch what everyone was doing.
“Line up for the college entrance exam!” a teacher in charge of registration shouted from the school corridor, his voice echoing over the din. “One by one! Move in an orderly fashion! Anyone who meets the baseline requirements will get a chance to register! Don’t push!”
Hearing that everyone would be processed, the anxious crowd finally began to form proper lines.
The teacher shouted again, “Orphans of martyrs and military families come to the front! Show your documentation for priority processing!”
Sheng Wanyan wasn’t about to let her priority status go to waste; after all, she was a legitimate military dependent! While she recalled that such strict priority rules hadn’t existed during the 1977 registration in her original timeline, she reminded herself that this was a parallel world. It was entirely normal for certain local policies to differ slightly.
“Wife, let’s go,” Gu Tingxiao said, shifting Yiyi in his arms. “We’ll go straight to the front.”
Gu Tingxiao was in full military uniform, and his commanding presence made the crowd part naturally. No one dared block a soldier’s path. A handful of other military wives, dependents, and orphans of martyrs were also making their way forward to register under the same policy.
Sheng Wanze and Pan Yue arrived a short while later. Hearing the announcement just as they crossed the courtyard, they hurried to catch up with the front of the line.
“Show your identification and fill out the registration form,” the desk clerk stated mechanically as they reached the front.
Gu Tingxiao produced his military officer’s credentials. The clerk took one look at the document and blinked in surprise upon realizing the man before him was a full regimental commander.
“Comrade, are you registering for yourself, or is it for a family member?”
“My wife is registering.”
The clerk looked past Gu Tingxiao’s shoulder to lock eyes with Sheng Wanyan. He froze for a fraction of a second. My goodness, she’s breathtaking!
Gu Tingxiao’s expression darkened, and he subtly shifted his broad frame to block the clerk’s view, entirely displeased by the man’s lingering gaze.
Sensing the sudden tension, the clerk cleared his throat awkwardly, realizing it was bad manners to stare so openly at a commanding officer’s wife. “Ahem… My apologies. Ma’am, please just fill out your details on this form and hand it back to me when you’re finished.”
Still, he couldn’t entirely blame himself; people naturally gravitated toward beauty.
“Thank you very much,” Sheng Wanyan said smoothly.
She took the form and scanned the prompts. The required information was straightforward: her name, current address, age, current work unit, and her highest level of education. In this period, a person’s household registration had to be officially transferred whenever they moved, as it was directly tied to their monthly allocation of food and supply coupons. Because of this system, tracing a person’s whereabouts wasn’t nearly as complicated as dealing with the separate current and permanent addresses of the future.
Sheng Wanyan neatly penned the address of the military compound. A few local schoolteachers were standing nearby, and as they watched her write, they couldn’t help but marvel.
“Your wife’s handwriting is truly exceptional,” one teacher remarked to Gu Tingxiao.
Sheng Wanyan’s script lacked the dainty, delicate strokes typical of most women of the era. Instead, her characters bore traces of classical calligraphy—bold, sharp, and confident.
“Yes, thank you,” Gu Tingxiao replied. Hearing his wife praised brought a proud smile to his face.
Yiyi, sensing the positive energy, began clapping her hands from her father’s arms. Her little face was puffed up with pride that mirrored Gu Tingxiao’s, as if silently boasting to the room that her mommy was the best.
As for the common gossip regarding educated youth abandoning their families after passing the exam, nobody applied that logic to Sheng Wanyan. After all, even if a woman successfully graduated from a prestigious university, she would be hard-pressed to find a husband more accomplished or devoted than a young regimental commander.
Sheng Wanyan finalized the form. While the exam dates varied slightly across different provinces, the variance was only a matter of days. For the city of Bing City, the examination was scheduled for December 20th—marking the only winter college entrance exam in the nation’s history. With less than two months remaining, the timeline was brutally tight for anyone who was just starting to review.
Once the paperwork was processed, Sheng Wanyan received her official testing location, time, and assigned examination room. She carefully tucked the slip into her coat pocket, exchanged a few words with Sheng Wanze and Pan Yue, and prepared to take Yiyi out.
“You two go ahead and enjoy yourselves,” Sheng Wanyan told them. “Don’t feel like you have to wait up for us.”
Pan Yue smiled and nodded. It had taken a lot of effort for her and Sheng Wanze to get a day out together, so she had no intention of turning it into a crowded group outing. They had intentionally left Huzi at home with his grandparents today, knowing they had serious administrative business to take care of and that bringing an active toddler would make things difficult.
When it was Pan Yue’s turn at the desk, Sheng Wanze stepped forward and presented his own military credentials. The clerk stared at the ID, utterly bewildered. What is going on today? Are all the top officers on leave? First a regimental commander, and now a deputy regimental commander. Since when did Bing City have so many high-ranking young officers wandering around? Usually, it was rare to spot even one, yet today they were showing up in pairs.
By the time they wrapped up registration, the clock was creeping toward eleven. Gu Tingxiao and Sheng Wanyan decided to take Yiyi to get an early lunch. They had eaten breakfast at seven that morning, and after all the traveling and queuing, their stomachs were rumbling.
“Yiyi, would you like noodles or rice today?” Sheng Wanyan asked as they stepped into a state-owned restaurant. She scanned the chalkboard menu, noting that the kitchen was serving chicken noodle soup and fresh white rice.
“Noodles~” Yiyi cheered.
Gu Tingxiao, given his heavy build and active lifestyle, naturally required a substantial meal with plenty of meat and carbs to feel full. Sheng Wanyan stepped up to the counter to place their order. “We’ll have two bowls of the chicken noodle soup, one order of braised pork, and two steamed meat buns, please.”
After paying and collecting their tokens, Sheng Wanyan led Yiyi to a vacant table near the window while Gu Tingxiao brought over a glass bottle of local soda. Though it was October and the autumn air was crisp, a few sips of a cold drink wouldn’t hurt.
Yiyi’s eyes locked onto the bubbling beverage, and she swallowed hard, staring at her mother with pure longing.
“Do you want a sip?” Sheng Wanyan asked, hiding a smile.
The toddler nodded quickly, though a flash of bashfulness crossed her face. In her little mind, she was just a child and her mother was the adult. If her mommy was allowed to enjoy a sweet soda, she wondered if a little girl like her was breaking the rules by wanting a taste too.
Chapter 416: A Family of Three Traveling in the City
“Yiyi, Mommy can let you try a little bit,” Sheng Wanyan said gently. “But soda really isn’t good for children. Just take one small sip to taste it, okay?”
Yiyi nodded eagerly. She was convinced that everything her mother said was absolutely right. “Okay~”
Sheng Wanyan brought the straw to the toddler’s lips. Yiyi bit down on it and took a tiny sip. Her eyes lit up instantly. This seemed to taste even better than her milk!
“Is it delicious?” Sheng Wanyan asked.
“Delicious~”
“Then when Yiyi grows up, Mommy will buy it for you all the time.”
Yiyi wanted to sneak a second sip, but hearing her mother’s words, she reluctantly gave up the idea. Still, she couldn’t banish the sweet flavor from her mind, so she looked across the table at Gu Tingxiao, silently begging her “old father” for help.
Gu Tingxiao met her gaze, his expression clearly signaling that there was no room for negotiation. “Do you still want to grow up big and tall?”
“I do.”
“Do you want to grow up strong?”
“I want to, too~” Yiyi answered his questions with absolute obedience.
“What did you just promise Mommy?” Gu Tingxiao pressed. “Didn’t you say just one small sip?”
The little girl nodded, twirling her chubby fingers together. She looked at him with a trace of confusion, remembering that this was exactly what she had promised.
“A good girl keeps her word,” Gu Tingxiao said firmly. “I believe Yiyi is an honest child.”
Gu Tingxiao was very strict when it came to boundaries. Yiyi looked at her father and processed his words. “Yes, I am an honest child.”
She decided his logic made sense. Since Daddy believed in her, she had to believe in herself, too.
Seeing that Yiyi’s intense craving for the beverage had been completely resolved by Gu Tingxiao’s quick lesson, Sheng Wanyan let out a quiet sigh of relief. She had half expected the toddler to throw a tantrum, but Gu Tingxiao had managed to defuse the situation with just a few words.
It was clear that Yiyi was growing up and developing her own independent thoughts. From now on, when they spoke to her, they needed to treat her with the respect they would show an adult. They had to let her know that rules were rules, while still being mindful of her emotional process. Parents had to offer their children enough trust and security if they expected them to listen to their guidance.
“I’ll go grab the food,” Gu Tingxiao said.
Their order was being called out at the service counter. Hearing it, he stood up to collect the dishes.
“Yiyi’s noodles are coming!”
Yiyi perked up at his voice and looked up, eagerly waiting for her lunch. She was dying to try the restaurant’s noodles to see if they tasted better than the ones at home.
When Gu Tingxiao returned, he brought along a small extra bowl. Sheng Wanyan portioned out some of her noodles for Yiyi. In this era, the serving sizes at state-owned restaurants were massive, so sharing a bowl with the toddler was the perfect solution.
“Go ahead, try them, Yiyi,” Sheng Wanyan encouraged.
But Yiyi couldn’t manage the standard adult chopsticks at all. She had only recently started learning how to use them at home, using a miniature pair Gu Tingxiao had custom-carved for her.
“I can’t reach it, Yiyi can’t get it~” the girl whined. “Mommy~”
Seeing how anxious and embarrassed she was getting, Sheng Wanyan smiled and began to feed her. “These chopsticks are too long for you, baby. Mommy will feed you.”
With her mother’s help, Yiyi finally got to enjoy her meal out, her face glowing with happiness.
Gu Tingxiao ate with his usual military speed, polishing off his entire bowl of noodles in less than two minutes. Once he was done, he naturally took over the feeding duty, and Yiyi happily scrambled over to sit right next to him.
“Bun!” Yiyi finished her noodles and began drooling at the sight of the steamed meat buns on the table. Sheng Wanyan split one in half, sharing it with her.
As for the braised pork, Gu Tingxiao systematically ate the rich, fatty pieces, while Sheng Wanyan finished off the lean portions.
“Are you sleepy, Yiyi?” Sheng Wanyan asked after they finished.
Yiyi shook her head vigorously. She wasn’t sleepy at all; instead, she was incredibly hyper. After all, this was her very first real outing.
“How about we take Yiyi to the movies?” Sheng Wanyan suggested to her husband.
“Okay~” Yiyi agreed instantly.
Once the family had eaten their fill, they walked toward the local cinema. The theater wasn’t far away, making it a perfect post-meal stroll to stretch their legs and prevent indigestion.
Gu Tingxiao pushed his bicycle, walking half a step behind the mother and daughter. After walking for about ten minutes, Yiyi held up her chubby arms, begging for a lift. “I can’t move~”
Sheng Wanyan chuckled. It was already a miracle that the toddler had kept up a steady pace for over ten minutes.
“Let’s ride the bicycle then,” Gu Tingxiao said.
He lifted Yiyi up and let her sit securely on the rear rack, holding tightly onto him. The family of three arrived safely at the cinema entrance.
The plaza outside the theater was bustling, dotted with street vendors selling roasted sunflower seeds and candied hawthorns. The moment Yiyi spotted the bright red, glossy candied hawthorns she had been dreaming about, her heart completely flew away.
“Mommy~ I want to eat that.”
“Alright, but you have to let Daddy cut it into safe, bite-sized pieces for you after we get home,” Sheng Wanyan bargained. “The whole fruit is too big. If you aren’t careful, it could get stuck in Yiyi’s throat.”
The little girl nodded obediently, completely agreeable to whatever terms her parents set. “Okay~”
Sheng Wanyan walked over and purchased a skewer of the candied fruit. Gu Tingxiao carefully snapped off the sharp wooden tip of the stick before handing it to the toddler to hold.
“Wife, I’ll go buy the tickets,” Gu Tingxiao said.
The films currently in circulation were mostly propaganda or older features, so they decided an art film would be the most suitable choice for Yiyi. Sheng Wanyan handed him the cash and tokens. A single admission ticket cost seven cents; since Yiyi was a toddler, they didn’t need a separate seat and could just hold her.
Gu Tingxiao returned with the movie tickets and a small pocket of sunflower seeds, then guided his wife and daughter inside to locate their row. They were seated in the fifth row. Gu Tingxiao pulled Yiyi onto his lap as they settled in.
The theater filled up rapidly. It was Yiyi’s first time inside a cinema, and the moment the screen lit up, her eyes locked onto the images, completely transfixed. Even her beloved candied hawthorns were abandoned, safely handed off to Gu Tingxiao as she forgot all about them.
Sheng Wanyan sat cracking sunflower seeds, naturally placing the empty shells into Gu Tingxiao’s open palm. Gu Tingxiao cut his eyes at her playfully. Sheng Wanyan felt a sudden pang of guilt and quickly looked away. Right, I really do treat this man like my personal trash can sometimes.
To make amends, she began peeling the kernels and popping the nutmeats directly into his mouth. Gu Tingxiao raised his eyebrows in pleasant surprise. He hadn’t expected his silent complaint to yield such a sweet reward. Note to self: look pathetic and aggrieved more often.
“Eat up, eat more,” Sheng Wanyan coaxed.
“Eat!” Yiyi echoed, tearing her eyes away from the screen for a split second to look at her father. In her little mind, life really wasn’t easy for her old father, so he deserved a treat.
Gu Tingxiao usually had no care for snacks, but he thoroughly cherished and ate every single sunflower seed his wife peeled for him. He chewed happily under his daughter’s watchful, supervisory gaze.
Sheng Wanyan was completely engrossed in the feature, but halfway through the film, the heavy weight against Gu Tingxiao’s chest went limp. Yiyi couldn’t fight off her afternoon exhaustion any longer and fell dead asleep. Sheng Wanyan had known this would happen—the little girl spoke a big game about staying awake, but her toddler body was entirely honest.
Worrying the draft in the dark theater might give her a cold, Gu Tingxiao shrugged out of his military jacket, wrapped it securely around her small frame, and let her rest comfortably against his shoulder. Yiyi slept deeply, eventually drooling a long, silvery thread right onto his uniform shoulder.
By the time the credits rolled and the lights came up, Yiyi was still dead to the world. Sheng Wanyan had originally planned to take her to the supply and marketing cooperative to look around and take their family portrait, but with the little one out cold, it seemed they had no choice but to head back to the compound.
“Let’s go home,” Sheng Wanyan whispered.
Gu Tingxiao nodded. He carefully transferred the sleeping bundle into her arms and went to retrieve the bicycle.
But Yiyi’s internal radar was incredibly sharp. The absolute instant she heard the word “home,” her eyes snapped wide open.
“Mommy, take picture~” she babbled, her voice thick with sleep.
Sheng Wanyan burst out laughing at her dazed expression. It turned out the clever little thing had been thinking about her photo session the entire time!
